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Umar A, Mubeen M, Ali I, Iftikhar Y, Sohail MA, Sajid A, Kumar A, Solanki MK, Kumar Divvela P, Zhou L. Harnessing fungal bio-electricity: a promising path to a cleaner environment. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1291904. [PMID: 38352061 PMCID: PMC10861785 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1291904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Integrating fungi into fuel cell systems presents a promising opportunity to address environmental pollution while simultaneously generating energy. This review explores the innovative concept of constructing wetlands as fuel cells for pollutant degradation, offering a practical and eco-friendly solution to pollution challenges. Fungi possess unique capabilities in producing power, fuel, and electricity through metabolic processes, drawing significant interest for applications in remediation and degradation. Limited data exist on fungi's ability to generate electricity during catalytic reactions involving various enzymes, especially while remediating pollutants. Certain species, such as Trametes versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Galactomyces reessii, Aspergillus spp., Kluyveromyce smarxianus, and Hansenula anomala, have been reported to generate electricity at 1200 mW/m3, 207 mW/m2, 1,163 mW/m3, 438 mW/m3, 850,000 mW/m3, and 2,900 mW/m3, respectively. Despite the eco-friendly potential compared to conventional methods, fungi's role remains largely unexplored. This review delves into fungi's exceptional potential as fuel cell catalysts, serving as anodic or cathodic agents to mitigate land, air, and water pollutants while simultaneously producing fuel and power. Applications cover a wide range of tasks, and the innovative concept of wetlands designed as fuel cells for pollutant degradation is discussed. Cost-effectiveness may vary depending on specific contexts and applications. Fungal fuel cells (FFCs) offer a versatile and innovative solution to global challenges, addressing the increasing demand for alternative bioenergy production amid population growth and expanding industrial activities. The mechanistic approach of fungal enzymes via microbial combinations and electrochemical fungal systems facilitates the oxidation of organic substrates, oxygen reduction, and ion exchange membrane orchestration of essential reactions. Fungal laccase plays a crucial role in pollutant removal and monitoring environmental contaminants. Fungal consortiums show remarkable potential in fine-tuning FFC performance, impacting both power generation and pollutant degradation. Beyond energy generation, fungal cells effectively remove pollutants. Overall, FFCs present a promising avenue to address energy needs and mitigate pollutants simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha Umar
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Mustansar Mubeen
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Iftikhar Ali
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yasir Iftikhar
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aamir Sohail
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ashara Sajid
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Ajay Kumar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Manoj Kumar Solanki
- Department of Life Sciences and Biological Sciences, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Plant Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Group, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | | | - Lei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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Thapa BS, Kim T, Pandit S, Song YE, Afsharian YP, Rahimnejad M, Kim JR, Oh SE. Overview of electroactive microorganisms and electron transfer mechanisms in microbial electrochemistry. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 347:126579. [PMID: 34921921 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Electroactive microorganisms acting as microbial electrocatalysts have intrinsic metabolisms that mediate a redox potential difference between solid electrodes and microbes, leading to spontaneous electron transfer to the electrode (exo-electron transfer) or electron uptake from the electrode (endo-electron transfer). These microbes biochemically convert various organic and/or inorganic compounds to electricity and/or biochemicals in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrosynthesis cells (MECs). For the past two decades, intense studies have converged to clarify electron transfer mechanisms of electroactive microbes in BESs, which thereby have led to improved bioelectrochemical performance. Also, many novel exoelectrogenic eukaryotes as well as prokaryotes with electroactive properties are being continuously discovered. This review presents an overview of electroactive microorganisms (bacteria, microalgae and fungi) and their exo- and endo-electron transfer mechanisms in BESs for optimizing and advancing bioelectrochemical techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhim Sen Thapa
- Department of Biological Environment, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwondo 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Taeyoung Kim
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Soumya Pandit
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida 201306, India
| | - Young Eun Song
- Advanced Biofuel and Bioproducts Process Development Unit, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Yasamin Pesaran Afsharian
- Biofuel and Renewable Energy Research Center, Chemical Engineering Department, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Mostafa Rahimnejad
- Biofuel and Renewable Energy Research Center, Chemical Engineering Department, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
| | - Jung Rae Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Eun Oh
- Department of Biological Environment, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwondo 24341, Republic of Korea.
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Sarma H, Bhattacharyya P, Jadhav DA, Pawar P, Thakare M, Pandit S, Mathuriya AS, Prasad R. Fungal-mediated electrochemical system: Prospects, applications and challenges. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2021; 2:100041. [PMID: 34841332 PMCID: PMC8610361 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that generate bioelectricity from biodegradable waste have received considerable attention from biologists. Fungi play a significant role as both anodic and cathodic catalysts in MFCs. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a fungus with an ability to transfer electrons through mediators such as methylene blue (MB), neutral red (NR) or even without a mediator. This unique role of fungal cells in exocellular electron transfer (EET) and their interactions with electrodes hold a lot of promise in areas such as wastewater treatment where yeast cell-based MFCs can be used. The present article highlights the physico-chemical factors affecting the performance of fungal-mediated MFCs in terms of power output and degradation of organic pollutants, along with the challenges associated with fungal MFCs. In addition, to this comparative assessment of fungal-mediated bio-electrochemical systems, their development, possible applications and potential challenges are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemen Sarma
- Department of Botany, Nanda Nath Saikia College, Titabar 785630, Assam, India
| | - P.N. Bhattacharyya
- Mycology and Microbiology Department, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat 785008, Assam, India
| | - Dipak A. Jadhav
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Aurangabad, 431010, India
| | - Prajakta Pawar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410206, India
| | - Mayur Thakare
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410206, India
| | - Soumya Pandit
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201306, India
| | - Abhilasha Singh Mathuriya
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201306, India
| | - Ram Prasad
- Department of Botany, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, 845401, Bihar, India
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Abstract
Fungi are among the microorganisms able to generate electricity as a result of their metabolic processes. Throughout the last several years, a large number of papers on various microorganisms for current production in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been published; however, fungi still lack sufficient evaluation in this regard. In this review, we focus on fungi, paying special attention to their potential applicability to MFCs. Fungi used as anodic or cathodic catalysts, in different reactor configurations, with or without the addition of an exogenous mediator, are described. Contrary to bacteria, in which the mechanism of electron transfer is pretty well known, the mechanism of electron transfer in fungi-based MFCs has not been studied intensively. Thus, here we describe the main findings, which can be used as the starting point for future investigations. We show that fungi have the potential to act as electrogens or cathode catalysts, but MFCs based on bacteria–fungus interactions are especially interesting. The review presents the current state-of-the-art in the field of MFC systems exploiting fungi.
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Lee YY, Kim TG, Cho KS. Isolation and characterization of a novel electricity-producing yeast, Candida sp. IR11. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2015; 192:556-563. [PMID: 26092068 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A novel iron-reducing yeast, Candida sp. IR11, was isolated from an anodic biofilm in a MFC reactor fed glucose as a feedstock. 200-250 mV of voltage was produced in the air-cathode MFC inoculated with a pure culture of the strain IR11 where glucose was supplied as a feedstock. When the strain IR11 was inoculated into a conventional MFC treating rejected wastewater from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket, maximum power density and coulombic efficiency were enhanced from 15.2 ± 0.36 to 20.6 ± 1.52 mW m(-2) and from 14.4 ± 0.45% to 21.9 ± 0.71%, respectively. In addition, the inoculation with IR11 improved COD removal from 79.1 ± 1.53% to 91.3 ± 5.29%. The quantitative PCR results showed that the strain IR11 successfully attached the anodic biofilm of the MFC reactors. These results indicate that Candida sp. IR11 is a promising biocatalyst for the enhancement of MFC performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Yeong Lee
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Gwan Kim
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Suk Cho
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea.
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